Global Crossing Ltd., a $2.5 billion provider of computer networking services worldwide, wants to become a better partner with the channel and has expanded its reseller program by adding products, broadening its service reach, putting more heft in its support and providing additional tools and resources.

We wanted to take the program to the next generation of the offering as it matured and the partner base became more comfortable, said Omar Altaji, Global Crossings executive vice president of worldwide carrier services. We have paid attention to what partners have told us in terms of where their end customers are taking them.

The new program, called the Global Partner Program (GPP) 2.0, supports indirect sales of enterprise services to regional service providers. At this point, the program, which launched in 2004, is comprised of 57 global partners who offer Global Crossings portfolio of services to enterprise-class end users in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The company also plans to roll out a set of fee-based, professional services later this year to assist partners to meet the needs of their customers. One service will help partners to provide LAN solutions to their end users.

Historically, we have stopped at the WAN demarcation point, said Altaji. Now we have developed a capability where in real time we are able to pull in the partner, account manager and end customer to provide a LAN solution. We have not gone beyond our purview but we will introduce a capability to address a customer need on the spot."

Another professional service offering involves the decommissioning of legacy-type networks and solutions. Partners have asked for help in decommissioning legacy [installations] and adding VoIP solutions, Altaji said.

The vendor has also bolstered its channel partner effort by adding dedicated channel support, joint product development and strategy sessions with partners. The vendor will allow partners to tap into its internal servers for real-time interaction with its support personnel. Global Crossing is also offering special pricing to its leading partners, Altaji said. He declined to provide additional details about the companys pricing structure.

In addition, the vendor wants to work more closely with its partners on customized marketing campaigns to specific vertical segments. We want to look at the partners strategic intent and how it dove-tails with what were doing, Altaji said. The idea is to become part of the partners fabric, its DNA.

In ramping up its marketing assistance to partners, the vendor also will bring out a partner-focused extranet to provide the channel with product information, sales tools and resources such as customized webinars and refreshed collateral. Additionally, the vendor has enhanced its UCommand web portal that allows customers to submit and track orders, checking pricing and manage service tickets, among many other functions.